Just another cold winter evening in Rochester, NY and with it comes the usual wind and snow. Walking up to a 100 year old house in all its glory,an old antique car outside, and a sign of invite “The Chocolate & Vines”. It’s like a scene from a movie. Walking through the door, the chocolate in the display case welcomes you along with the friendly servers, who smiles let you know you’re in a safe place. Turning the corner and seeing little tables close together lit by small oil lamps. What starts off as a seemingly small and overstuffed place turns to an atmosphere and world that is just your own the moment you sit down. The chairs are big and comfy like it wants to wrap itself around you to snuggle on a cold winter day. Ordering a cup of tea and tiramisu to round up a night with girlfriends seem quite appropriate. The tea is refreshing and the dessert is divine.
What is going on here? Something is different. Something is off but in a good way. The busyness of life, the stress of everyday living seems to have melted away and you’re in a space where time has seemed to stand still as if it’s life’s way of telling you to “catch a breath”. The breathing slows down, the chest relaxes, the back loses its stiffness, and nothing else really matters in that moment beside the company. There’s a rope with a sign of no entering that hangs in front of the stairs and it is there that the story begins.
The stairs lead to the home of a woman who makes it her dream to share her home with people in the Rochester community. Danielle is an Oregon native, a former paralegal, a former Brooklyn resident, and is now the face of a home away from home for those who have ventured into her restaurant. She enjoys fine things in life from friendships to beer, cheese, and chocolate. Having been influenced by the many chocolate bars in the Brooklyn area, where people can come to enjoy a glass of wine and chocolate without the pressure of ordering a 5 course meal and many years in the restaurant business. It’s a risk that takes her from a high paying job and moving to a small and humble city in western New York.
The journey has its price tag. She has risked her whole life saving and has spent 18 months renovating an old 100 year old Victorian home with her business partner. From the layout to the chairs to the stencils on the walls (which she hand-painted) to the pictures on the wall; they were all a representation of who she is. Her creativity and heart are literally on display for all to see. On top of that, she has countless number of interrupted nights that are spent worrying about her home and its vitality. In the same way a caring parent tends to their children is how Danielle tends to her home. There’s a saying, “home is where the heart is”. This is absolutely true of Chocolate & Vines because for Danielle, this is her home and heart that she is sharing with the Rochester community.
For those who have ventured into her restaurants only to come back understand this. People may not be able to grasp the depth of Danielle’s heart or they may not be fully aware of all that goes into it but this is more than just chocolate and wines. Honestly speaking, those things can be found anywhere but it is her home that people are ultimately returning to.
Chocolate & Vines
757 University Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607
http://chocolateandvines.com
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